KARACHI: Renowned qawwal and musician Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has announced that he will be holding 100 qawali shows across the world.
At a press conference, the singer, who is also the nephew of the late qawwal maestro Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, shared his plans to celebrate 2018 as the year of qawwali.
“I am basically a qawwal and the Sufi’s poetry is part of my blood and runs in my veins. Qawwali is at the heart of our family traditions and my ancestors have worked hard to develop this genre of music and introduce it to the world.”
He added, “Whatever I am performing, qawwali is always at the heart of it. Qawwali gives me the unique edge in all the music that I do.”
Speaking about his uncle, Rahet Fateh said, “The world of music has yet to see a qawwal who matches up to Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He glorified the art of qawwali and took it to an international level. He won many awards and accolades for his performances.”
The aim of the concerts is to pay a tribute to the lasting legacy of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The shows will be held in different countries such as US, Canada, UK, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Morocco, South Africa, Kenya, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
“2018 will be celebrated as the year of the qawali,” shared PME’s Salman Ahmed, the promoter of Rahat Fateh’s concert tours at the press conference. “The qawalis of the famous poets and saints for the subcontinent will be brought back to life.”
Ahmed remarked that qawalis are popular across all age groups. He shared that veterans who have performed alongside Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan have also been roped in for the performances.
“We strive to bring back Qawali to its old galore through a series of 100 concerts around the world,” he concluded.
